1 . Children as young as ten are becoming dependent on social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned.
It found many youngsters (少年) now measure their status by how much public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their behavior in real life to improve their image on the web.
The report into youngsters aged from 8 to 12 was carried out by Children’s Commissioner (专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major emotional risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to cope with the tremendous pressure they faced online.
Some social apps were popular among the children even though they supposedly require users to be at least 13. The youngsters admitted planning trips around potential photo-opportunities and then messaging friends — and friends of friends — to demand “likes” for their online posts.
The report found that youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk if they did not respond to social media posts quickly, and around the clock.
Children aged 8 to 10 were “starting to feel happy” when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were “concerned with how many people like their posts”, suggesting a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.
Miss Longfield warned that a generation of children risked growing up “worried about their appearance and image as a result of the unrealistic lifestyles they follow on platforms, and increasingly anxious about switching off due to the constant demands of social media”.
She said: “Children are using social media with family and friends and to play games when they are in primary school. But what starts as fun usage of apps turns into tremendous pressure in real social media interaction at secondary school.”
As their world expanded, she said, children compared themselves to others online in a way that was “hugely damaging in terms of their self-identity, in terms of their confidence, but also in terms of their ability to develop themselves”.
Miss Longfield added: “Then there is this push to connect — if you go offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show that you don’t care about those people you are following, all of those come together in a huge way at once.”
“For children it is very, very difficult to cope with emotionally.” The Children’s Commissioner for England’s study — Life in Likes — found that children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for play.
However, the research — involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12 — suggested that as they headed toward their teens, they became increasingly anxious online.
By the time they started secondary school — at age 11 — children were already far more aware of their image online and felt under huge pressure to ensure their posts were popular, the report found.
However, they still did not know how to cope with mean-spirited jokes, or the sense of incompetence they might feel if they compared themselves to celebrities (名人) or more brilliant friends online. The report said they also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day — especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.
The Children’s Commissioner said schools and parents must now do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield (雷区) they faced online. And she said social media companies must also “take more responsibility”.
They should either monitor their websites better so that children do not sign up too early, or they should adjust their websites to the needs of younger users.
Javed Khan, of children’s charity Barnardo’s, said: “It’s vital that new compulsory age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons in England should help equip children to deal with the growing demands of social media.
“It’s also hugely important for parents to know which apps their children are using.”
1. Why did some secondary school students feel too much pressure?A.They were not provided with adequate equipment. |
B.They were not well prepared for emotional risks. |
C.They were required to give quick responses. |
D.They were prevented from using mobile phones. |
A.they didn’t adequately check their users’ registration |
B.they organized photo trips to attract more youngsters |
C.they encouraged youngsters to post more photos |
D.they didn’t stop youngsters from staying up late |
A.less friendliness to each other |
B.lower self-identity and confidence |
C.an increase in online cheating |
D.a stronger desire to stay online |
A.circulate their posts quickly |
B.know the qualities of their posts |
C.use mobile phones for play |
D.get more public approval |
A.The influence of social media on children. |
B.The importance of social media to children. |
C.The problem in building a healthy relationship. |
D.The measure to reduce risks from social media. |
2 . Imunek Williams drives a school bus for the Milwaukee Academy of Science. While driving her usual route recently, she smelt a strong smoke smell. Among the
While they had only a few blocks to go before
With no
When Imunek first
Firefighters arrived on the
A.victims | B.audiences | C.employees | D.passengers |
A.selecting | B.reaching | C.touring | D.recommending |
A.fame | B.comfort | C.safety | D.calmness |
A.switched off | B.picked up | C.turned down | D.handed over |
A.time | B.need | C.plan | D.wish |
A.instantly | B.nervously | C.casually | D.frequently |
A.alarmed | B.remaining | C.killed | D.starving |
A.station | B.academy | C.vehicle | D.road |
A.explanation | B.discussion | C.refusal | D.thinking |
A.described | B.detected | C.stored | D.removed |
A.continued | B.risked | C.fancied | D.delayed |
A.tough | B.bad | C.wise | D.easy |
A.coast | B.platform | C.stage | D.scene |
A.escaped | B.complained | C.volunteered | D.insisted |
A.challenging | B.aggressive | C.heroic | D.slow |
3 . It’s good to be smart. After all, intelligent people earn more money, accumulate more wealth, and even live longer. But there’s another side to the story. The brightest people and strongest leaders sometimes make errors others don’t, especially in situations that require common sense.
Travis Bradberry, president at TalentSmart, explained in his post Why Smart People Act So Stupid that “Rational thinking (理性思维) and intelligence don’t tend to go hand in hand. Intelligent people are more likely to make silly mistakes because of blind spots in how they use logic. These blind spots exist because smart people tend to be overconfident in their reasoning abilities.” They are so used to being right and having quick answers that they don’t even realize when they’re making a mess by answering without thinking things through.
A lifetime of praise leads smart people to develop too much faith in their intelligence and abilities. They often fail to recognize when they need help, and when they do recognize it, they tend to believe that no one else is capable of providing it.
“It’s hard for anyone to graciously accept the fact that they’re wrong. It’s even harder for smart people because they grow so used to being right all the time that it becomes a part of their identity,” Bradberry wrote. “For smart people, being wrong can feel like a personal attack, and being right, a necessity.”
Smart people also have a hard time accepting feedback. They tend to undervalue the opinions of others, which means they have trouble believing that anyone is qualified to give them useful feedback. Not only does this tendency slow their growth and performance, it can lead to harmful relationships, both personally and professionally.
Smart people develop overachieving personalities because things come so easily to them. They simply don’t understand how hard some people have to work to accomplish the same things, and because of that, they push people too hard. They set the bar too high, and when people take too long or don’t get things quite right, they assume it’s due to a lack of effort. So they push even harder.
1. What do we learn from the passage about the brightest people?A.They can differ in their personalities. |
B.They are admired by people around them. |
C.They usually face their own weaknesses calmly. |
D.They can make silly mistakes in straightforward situations. |
A.Their irrational way of thinking. | B.Too much concern about their work. |
C.Too much faith in their ability to think. | D.Their ignorance of behavioral science. |
A.They may experience a lot of emotional stress. |
B.They may commit more errors than ever before. |
C.They may lose faith in their administrative abilities. |
D.They may suffer in their professional and private life. |
A.They are under increasing pressure. | B.They set higher goals for themselves. |
C.They put a lot of effort into their work. | D.They take less time to get things done. |
4 . Many kids help out around the house with chores such as emptying the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and taking out the trash. In exchange, some kids get allowances or other rewards such as extra computer time.
But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. Susie Walton, a parenting educator and family coach, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn’t worth doing unless you get something in return. “Running any kind of household is a team effort,” Susie said. “A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and that families decide together how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like everyone wants it to look.”
Other people believe that getting a cash allowance or other rewards motivates kids to do chores, and it also teaches them real world lessons about how we need to work to earn money. There are also new applications that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed (兑取) either online or in the real world. With the Chore Monster app, kids earn digital points by completing chores that they can turn in for real-life rewards such as extra Xbox time or a trip to the mall. “Our goal is to encourage kids to earn rewards.” says Chris Bergman, founder of Chore Monster. “Kids need positive reinforcement to help motivate them.”
What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out around their homes without getting anything in return?
Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids. com. Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade and contact information of your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is 18 February.
1. How does the author start the passage?A.By stating his own experiences. | B.By presenting some facts. |
C.By comparing different views. | D.By listing some evidence. |
A.Kids should be rewarded for doing chores. |
B.Parents decide what kids can do for the family. |
C.Kids have the responsibility to share housework. |
D.Kids can get extra computer time for doing chores. |
A.Chris Bergman’s opinion on raising kids. |
B.Main reasons why kids need encouragement |
C.How to motivate kids to try new applications. |
D.The advantage of rewarding kids for doing chores. |
A.To invite readers to express their opinions. | B.To present the author’s viewpoint about parenting. |
C.To call on readers to reflect on their behavior. | D.To inform readers of two different opinions. |
5 . As athletes get stronger and faster, the pace of play continues to increase. The burden of making sure games are played according to the rules and that the officiating (裁判) is accurate is now being taken out of human hands and falling more and more into the lap of technology. It’s called the video replay.
The National Football League is expanding its replay system this upcoming season to include pass interference (传球干扰). Major League Baseball now relies on it for safe-or-out and home run calls. If you’ve been watching the FIFA World Cup, you may have noticed that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) played a key role in almost every game. And in the Kentucky Derby, a horse was disqualified for knocking another horse. No one knew why until a video replay confirmed the call and controversy was avoided.
However, many purists—those who want people to follow rules carefully and do things in the traditional way—especially in soccer, argue it’s not the way the game was invented, and that the video replay is tainting the sport. But don’t you want to see the proper application of the rules throughout the games? I know I do. Yes, it can slow the game down, but I feel it is worth it. If technological advancements allow fans watching from home to spot mistakes instantly, those same views need to be available to the officiating crews. Another example occurred in the most recent National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints. When obvious pass interference was committed by the Los Angeles Rams player Nickell Robey-Coleman, with just 109 seconds to play, no flag was raised on the field. It weakened the New Orleans Saints spirits. The Los Angeles Rams won a 26-23 overtime victory. The no-call deeply angered the public. The video replay showed the referees had just missed one of the most apparent pass interference calls.
There are no easy answers regarding replay technology and whether it is a curse (魔咒). But for me, keeping the officiating honest and on task is the right step in limiting controversy.
1. What trend in sports can be observed in paragraph 2?A.The video replay has been widely used. |
B.League games have become competitive. |
C.Rules of professional games are becoming stricter. |
D.People are showing more interest in sports than before. |
A.Tricking. | B.Promoting. | C.Damaging. | D.Restoring. |
A.They relied a lot on the video replay. |
B.They cared too much about details. |
C.They were definitely stressed out. |
D.They were terribly disqualified. |
A.Video replays: high-end technology in sports |
B.Is technology like VAR a blessing in sports? |
C.Officiating: a duty that requires honesty |
D.What do qualified referees really mean? |
6 . “Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention,” Frank Sinatra chanted in his 1969 hit “My Way”. The song’s idea is attractive: that anyone can just declare what’s done is done and move on. Some take the declaration a step further and claim they have no regrets at all. Whether a boast or an actual attitude, “no regrets” suggests that life can and should be lived without looking through the rear-view mirror.
Easier said than done, though. In 2020, author Daniel H. Pink launched the World Regret Survey, the largest ever survey on the topic. With his research team, Pink asked more than 15,000 people in 105 countries, “How often do you look back on your life and wish you had done things differently?” 82% said regret is at least an occasional part of their life; roughly 21% said they feel regret “all the time.” Only 1% said they never feel regret.
If you are of the “no regrets” type, you might think that all this regret is a recipe for unhappiness. But that isn’t the case. True, being overwhelmed(不知所措) by regret is indeed bad for you. But going to the other extreme may be even worse. To rid yourself of regrets doesn’t free you from shame or sorrow; it leads you to make the same mistakes again and again. To truly get over our guilt requires that we put regret in its proper place.
As uncomfortable as it is, regret is an amazing cognitive(认知的)achievement. If today your relationship with your partner has worsened, your regret might mentally take you back to last year. You would remember your being mean and sensitive, and then imagine yourself showing more patience, being kind instead of hurtful at key moments. Then you would fast-forward to today and see how your relationship could be progressing instead of languishing.
But regret doesn’t have to be left unmanaged. The trick is to acknowledge it and use it for learning and improvement. You can be honest with yourself about what went wrong and use that knowledge to enjoy better relationships in the future.
1. What should we do if we have had a bitter quarrel with a close friend according to Frank Sinatra?A.Attract more people to your argument. |
B.Send him/her a letter of apology. |
C.Boast about being more reasonable. |
D.Forget about it and just let it go. |
A.We can do nothing about regret. |
B.Unhappiness results from regret. |
C.Ignoring regrets is missing the opportunity to improve. |
D.Ridding yourself of regrets helps free you from sorrow. |
A.Improving. | B.Maintaining. |
C.Showing up. | D.Breaking up. |
A.Regret to become smarter—if you let it. |
B.Long for a different past? Regret it! |
C.Regret? Not my way! |
D.Stay away! Regret will heal itself. |
7 . Scot Case, Vice President of the environmental marketing firm Terra Choice, was not happy. Case last year sent his researchers into a big-box retail store to evaluate the green advertising claims of some of the products on its shelves. The results were shocking, of the 1,018 products Terra Choice surveyed, all but one failed to live up fully to their green boasts.
He couldn’t believe the result, and had his team redo the survey, but the results came back the same. “It just shows we’re awash in greenwash.” He said.
Many consumers may not have heard the term green washing, but they’ve surely experienced it — misleading marketing about the environmental benefits of a product. Greenwashing isn’t new — ever since the environment was an issue in the early 1970s. As going green has become big business, environmental advocates worry that truly green companies could get lost in the situation.
“We have such a challenge ahead of us on climate change, says Kevin Tuerff, a co-founder of the marketing consultancy EnviroMedia. “Greenwashing harms the effort we need to be making.”
The first step to cleaning up greenwashing is to identify it, and Tuerff and his partners have hit on an innovative way to spotlight particularly abnormal examples. They’ve launched the Greenwashing Index a website that allows consumers to post ads that might be examples of greenwashing and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 — 1 is a little green lie; S is a big green lie.
It’s a simple device, but it shows the power of the Interne to uncover misleading ads with a simple Web search, any consumer can find out the index they want to know. Googling isn’t the only way to take out the greenwashing, however. The Terra Choice website offers a list of what it calls the “six sins of greenwashing” — six simple signs that should remind consumers of a company that is more interested in selling the earth than saving it.
“We have better green products but a lot of exaggerated (夸张的) claims,” says Case. “That could be enough to destroy the whole green movement” — and that’s not a little green lie.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE about greenwashing?A.It is harmful for the environment. |
B.It is a special way to wash so as to save water. |
C.It is environment-friendly so it should be advocated. |
D.It is beneficial for both the consumers and the companies. |
A.Holding hearings to tell genuine environmental claims from false ones. |
B.Launching the Greenwashing Index a website to expose greenwashing. |
C.Offering a list of “six sins of greenwashing” for companies’ reference. |
D.Updating Green Guide for consumers which hasn’t changed since 1998. |
A.Organic products but without any certificates. |
B.Energy-efficient products made of harmful material. |
C.Food which is low in nutrition but high in calorie. |
D.Pesticides which are said to be environment-friendly. |
A.The effort on environmental protection. |
B.The advocation of green advertisements. |
C.The distinction between green products and common ones. |
D.The distinction between real environmental claims and false ones. |
1.简要描述漫画的内容;
2.概述你对这幅图的理解;
3.举例说明你会怎样做。
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The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, said the
Mr. Beasley also noted that the Nobel Peace Prize was not
10 . Around the globe, there are approximately 60 million people who have been forced to leave their homes to escape war, violence, and persecution (迫害). The majority of them have become internally displaced persons, which means they have fled their homes but are still within their own countries. Others have crossed a border and sought shelter outside of their own countries. They are commonly referred to as refugees.
There’s a lot of confusion regarding the difference between the terms “migrant” and “refugee.” “Migrants” usually refers to people who leave their country for reasons not related to persecution, such as searching for better economic opportunities or leaving drought-stricken areas in search of better circumstances. There are also many people around the world who have been displaced because of natural disasters, food insecurities, and other hardships, but international law, rightly or wrongly, only recognizes those fleeing conflict and violence as refugees.
So what happens when someone flees their country? Today, roughly half the world’s refugees are children, some of them unaccompanied by an adult, in a situation that makes them especially vulnerable (易受伤的) to child labor or sexual abuse. Most refugee journeys are long and dangerous with small access to shelter, water, or food. Since the departure can be sudden and unexpected, belongings might be left behind, and people who are getting out of conflict often do not have the required documents, like visas, to board airplanes and legally enter other countries. Financial and political factors can also prevent them from traveling by standard routes. This means they can usually only travel by land or sea, and may need to entrust their lives to smugglers (走私者) to help them cross borders. Whereas some people seek safety with their families, others attempt passage alone and leave their loved ones behind with the hopes of being reunited later. This separation can be unbearably long.
1. Who are refugees according to the text?A.Those leaving their homes to avoid heavy work. | B.Those fleeing abroad to improve living conditions. |
C.People leaving their homes to escape violent attacks. | D.People going abroad to seek economic opportunities. |
A.They are unsatisfied with their new life. | B.They are faced with various misfortunes. |
C.It’s hard for them to have a family reunion. | D.It’s illegal for them to enter other countries. |
A.Concerned. | B.Indifferent. | C.Curious. | D.Critical. |
A.Where Is a Refugee’s Shelter? | B.Where Is a Refugee’s Home? |
C.What Does It Mean to Be a Refugee? | D.What Does a Refugee Need to Do? |